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UPDATED: Deputies Evacuate Apartment Building After ‘Grow House’ Explosion

Updated 10:15 p.m.

A Santa Clarita man is in custody and another was hospitalized Wednesday, after an explosion at the 17700 block of Scherzinger Lane in Canyon Country drew law enforcement, fire and hazardous materials crews.

Stephen Schilling, 29, of Santa Clarita, is being held on suspicion of manufacturing a controlled substance and the cultivation of marijuana, according to Detective David Darland of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

Detectives with the Narcotics Bureau determined the residence was being used “as a marijuana grow house and a THC extraction laboratory,” according to a Sheriff’s Department statement. 

 Arson investigators have not yet determined an official cause of the blast, Darland said.

A city engineer will need to inspect the building Thursday and determine if it’s safe for residents to return. The building is currently red-tagged, he added.

More than a dozen law enforcement and Fire Department officials were called to the scene on initial reports of a possible methamphetamine lab explosion in a Canyon Country apartment complex.

After the blast was reported, emergency officials were on the scene and evacuating the building by 3:15 p.m., according to officials. The explosion damaged the entire three-unit building, according to the statement. 

A Los Angeles County Fire Department Hazardous Materials crew investigated the scene of the explosion, as deputies and paramedics stood by to ensure scene safety. The damage left two other families unable to return to their homes Wednesday.

“I came home and they won’t let me go up there,” said Jessica O’Mara, 25, whose apartment complex was evacuated after the explosion.

“It’s funny because people don’t think it’s a good area,” O’Mara said, “But it is because it’s tucked away. I’ll walk around here at night with (my 7-month-old daughter). Everybody keeps to themselves and the only ones who you see in the streets are the kids.”

The apartment’s tenant was taken to USC Medical Center with severe burns, according to Sheriff’s Station officials. Officials did not release the tenant’s name.

Updated 7:40 p.m.

More than a dozen law enforcement and Fire Department officials were called to the scene of a possible methamphetamine lab, officials said Wednesday.

A small explosion was reported by a resident, and emergency officials were on the scene and evacuating the Canyon Country complex by 3:15 p.m., according to officials.

The tenant of the apartment was taken to USC Medical Center with severe burns, according to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials.

“We haven’t confirmed anything yet,” said Sgt. Hernandez of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. “We’re going off of our experience.”

A Los Angeles County Fire Department Hazardous Materials crew was on the scene investigating the cause of the explosion, as deputies and paramedics stood by to ensure scene safety.

A handful of residents were waiting outside their apartment complex at the 17700 block of Scherzinger Lane, awaiting word from sheriff’s deputies on when it would be safe to return to their home.

“I came home and they won’t let me go up there,” said Jessica O’Mara, 25, whose apartment complex was evacuated after a report of an explosion.

It’s funny because people don’t think it’s a good area,” O’Mara said, “But it is because it’s tucked away. I’ll walk around here at night with (my 7-month-old daughter). Everybody keeps to themselves and the only ones who you see in the streets are the kids.”

No arrests have been made yet, according to Sheriff’s Department officials. An explosives team with the Sheriff’s Department is still on the scene investigating, and has not determined a cause for the explosion yet.

Officials did not release the name of the tenant in the apartment where the explosion took place.

Original Story

Sheriff’s Deputies are calling for a precautionary evacuation at the 17700 block of Sherzinger Lane in Canyon Country, after reports that methamphetamine production may be taking place in one of the units.

“It’s a precautionary measure right now. We’re not sure exactly what we have there yet,” according to officials with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff”s Department.

Deputies were called to the scene around 3:20 p.m.

 

UPDATED: Deputies Evacuate Apartment Building After ‘Grow House’ Explosion

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.